Israeli Tomato Salad

Impress your friends without actually cooking anything! Michael Leviton of Area Four begins with toasted, ground sumac (a brilliant, red berry that has a lemony aroma -- often used in Middle Eastern cuisine) to whisk into a simple vinaigrette. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers and chopped green olives balance this salad, while parsley leaves and sliced red onion give it a kick. It turns out that cooking without a flame isn't lame, it's just plain ol' delicious.

Tags:

salad, tomato, tomato salad, tomatoes

Impress your friends without actually cooking anything! Michael Leviton of Area Four begins with toasted, ground sumac (a brilliant, red berry that has a lemony aroma -- often used in Middle Eastern cuisine) to whisk into a simple vinaigrette. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers and chopped green olives balance this salad, while parsley leaves and sliced red onion give it a kick. It turns out that cooking without a flame isn't lame, it's just plain ol' delicious.

Michael Leviton

Michael Leviton started working in the food service industry in High School, and decided that he would never, ever want to make restaurant work a career. After taking time off from college and having only knowledge in computer programming, Michael realized that kitchens were like college (but without the class work) -- one big, happy disfunctional family in a fast-paced and aggressive atmosphere. Michael went on to work with some of the world's best chefs including Joyce Goldstein, Eric Ripert, Francois Payard and Daniel Boulud. He opened a Lumiere, French-inspired neighborhood bistro in Newton, Massachusetts in 1999, and most recently Area Four, a bakery/cafe in 2011.

Impress your friends without actually cooking anything! Michael Leviton of Area Four begins with toasted, ground sumac (a brilliant, red berry that has a lemony aroma -- often used in Middle Eastern cuisine) to whisk into a simple vinaigrette. Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers and chopped green olives balance this salad, while parsley leaves and sliced red onion give it a kick. It turns out that cooking without a flame isn't lame, it's just plain ol' delicious.